JP2005317503A - Electric connector equipped with fixing device - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an electric connector having a fixing device with reliability and durability. <P>SOLUTION: The electric connector assembly is composed of the fixing device 10 constituted by utilizing a principle of a lever, a metal case 20, a plastic cabinet 30, a first connector 100 including a first conductive assembly 20b, and a second connector 100b joined to one end of the first connector 100. The fixing device 10 is composed of an insulating base part 11, a support body 12, a second conductor assembly 13, and a flexible material 14 including a lateral directional member and two elastic members. A U-shaped tunnel 116 is formed on both sides of the insulating base part 11. A slender trough is formed along the both sides of the support body 12, and in the case the insulating base part 11 and the support body 12 are mutually joined, the trough and the tunnel 116 are mutually joined so as to form the base to arrange the elastic member above. The second connector 100b has slits on both sides to fix the fixing device 10. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2006,JPO&NCIPI

Description

  The present invention relates to an electrical connector, and more particularly to a mini USB type electrical connector having a fixing device.

  It is extremely important to securely fix the electrical connector to the port or to the mating connector. For example, a mini-USB type electrical connector includes a protrusion (so-called male connector) and a port (so-called female connector). Each male connector and female connector comprises an insulator, a conductor assembly within the insulator, and a metal housing that seals the insulator.

However, the male connector and the female connector are easily separated. This is because, for example, the male connector attached to the cable is on the outside of the coupled device, and is liable to cause contact failure because the cable is easily pulled away. This defect can cause poor electrical contact. Therefore, as a matter of course, the time for inserting and removing the mini-USB type electrical connector is longer than that of the conventional electrical connector. Since the elastic member of the male connector is elastically fatigued after a predetermined number of uses and the cable is inadvertently damaged, the connection between the male and female connectors is impaired. It is impossible to guarantee. Therefore, continuous improvement of electrical connector development is always required.
US Pat. No. 6,290,540 US Pat. No. 6,165,002 US Pat. No. 6,056,578 Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2004-006319 Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 11-111396 Japanese Patent Application No. 2003-113087 Japanese Patent Application No. 10-212286

An object of the present invention is to provide an electrical connector having a fixing device utilizing the principle of the lever, so that the electrical connector can be reliably coupled.
Another object of the present invention is to provide an electrical connector having a reliable and durable fixing device, so that even if a cable coupled to the electrical connector is inadvertently pulled, the electrical connector and its counterpart The electrical connection with the side connector is not impaired.

  In order to solve the above problems, the invention according to claim 1 is an electrical connector assembly, comprising a plastic housing, a metal case disposed in the plastic housing, a fixing device disposed in the metal case, And a first connector comprising a first conductor assembly, and a second connector coupled to one end of the first connector, wherein the fixing device includes an insulating base, a support, and a second conductor assembly. And a U-shaped flexible material including a transverse member and two elastic components, the insulating base having U-shaped tunnels formed on both sides thereof, and elongated troughs are formed along both sides of the support. The trough and the tunnel are coupled to form a basis for placing an elastic member on the insulating base and the support when coupled to each other; 2 connector, a gist an electrical connector assembly having a slit for fixing the fixing device to both sides.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, in the electrical connector assembly according to the first aspect, the transverse member of the flexible material is further connected to the raised portion and the insulating base in pairs. It has two projections and two parallel branch portions on both sides of the two, and both elastic members are respectively coupled to the branch portions and have a stopper for preventing the terminal from coming off.

  According to a third aspect of the present invention, in the electrical connector assembly according to the first aspect, the insulating base includes an upper body including a connecting element and a forward extension, a lower flat plate, and bent positioning of both ends of the insulating base. A member, a U-shaped tunnel formed on both sides of the lower plate, a vertical passage formed on the lower plate so as to communicate with the tunnel, and depressions provided on both sides of the lower plate, The gist consists of a back sheet having both claws and protrusions on both sides, a front board, and an elongated trough configured along both sides of the support to engage in pair with the tunnel.

  According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, in the electrical connector assembly according to the first aspect, the case connects the rear member, the front member defining the space for receiving the support, the front member, and the rear member. An inner case composed of an inclined portion and an outer case, and a slit is formed on both sides of the front member, and the stoppers of both elastic members protrude from the slit to fix the inner case and the outer case In addition, a rib is formed at the bottom of the front portion to be inserted into the elongated opening of the outer case, and the outer case has a front recess in which the branch portions slidably arranged are provided on both sides, and the front surface. It consists of a front opening formed so as to fit the shape of the member almost exactly.

  The invention according to claim 5 is the electrical connector assembly according to claim 1, wherein the housing is composed of an upper shell portion and a lower shell portion, and the upper shell portion includes a plurality of piles, a plurality of recesses, and a plurality of recesses. The lower shell portion is composed of a plurality of holes, a plurality of retaining portions, and a plurality of recesses, and the upper shell portion and the lower shell portion are piles, recesses, and disconnections of the upper shell portion. The gist of the invention is that it is adapted to be coupled by engaging a stop in pairs with each of the hole, detent and recess of the lower shell.

  The invention according to claim 6 is the electrical connector assembly according to claim 3, wherein the support body of the fixing device and the second conductor assembly are integrally formed by insert molding.

  According to a seventh aspect of the present invention, in the electrical connector assembly according to the third aspect, a groove is formed by both positioning members, and a slot is formed in the groove.

  The invention according to claim 8 is the electrical connector assembly according to claim 7, wherein the protrusion is inserted into the slot in order to fix the support and the insulating base together. And

  The above and other objects, features and advantages of the present invention will become apparent from the following detailed description and the accompanying drawings.

  Providing a reliable electrical connection.

1 and 2 show an electrical connector assembly constructed in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the present invention. The electrical connector assembly includes a connector 100 coupled to a conductor (in other words, a cable) at one end, and a second connector 100b coupled to the other end of the connector 100. The connector 100 includes a fixing device 10, a metal case 20, a plastic housing 30, and a cable extension 40. The fixing device 10 includes an insulating base 11, a support 12, a conductor assembly 13, and a U-shaped flexible material 14. The case 20 includes an inner case 21 and an outer case 22. The housing 30 includes an upper shell portion 31 and a lower shell portion 32.

  Referring to FIGS. 3 and 4, the base 11 is a rectangular member, and includes a top body 111 including a connection element 112 and a forward extension 113, and a plurality of bases 11 communicating with a cavity (not shown) in the top body 111. A lower plate 115 including parallel upper and lower channels 1151, bent positioning members 114 on both sides, a groove 1141 formed in the center of the positioning member 114, and an elongated opening formed in one end of the groove 1141. A slot 1142 is formed. When the base 11 is coupled to the support 12, a plurality of parallel soldering members 133 of the conductor assembly 13 are inserted into the channel 1151 via the cavity 112 </ b> A (see FIG. 2) of the upper body 111. In order to divide the lower plate 115 into an upper section and a lower section, U-shaped tunnels 116 are formed on both sides of the lower plate 115. In order to communicate with the tunnel 116, a vertical central passage 1161 is formed on the lower flat plate 115. Recesses 1162 are formed on both sides of the lower flat plate 115.

  The support 12 and the conductor assembly 13 in the fixing device 10 are integrally formed by insert molding. The support 12 includes a back sheet 121 and a front board 123. The sheet 121 has claws 1211 and protrusions 1212 on both sides thereof. When the connection element 122 is coupled to the connection element 112 of the base 11, a protrusion 1212 is inserted into the slot 1142 to secure the support 12 and the base 11 together. The claw 1211 is also urged against the connecting portion 1431 of the flexible material 14 (see FIG. 3). In order to join together the conductor assembly 13 and the base 11, the top plate 1213 of the support 12 is biased against the extension 113. Along each side of the bottom of the support 12, troughs 124 that are elongated grooves are formed. The trough 124 engages with the tunnel 116 in a pair.

  The U-shaped flexible material 14 is adapted to be placed on the trough 124 and the tunnel 116. The flexible member 14 comprises a lateral ridge 141 comprising a central ridge 1411 coupled in pairs to the passage 1161 and two protrusions 1412 on either side of the ridge 1411 coupled in pairs to the recess 1162. , Two parallel branch portions 142 extending from the lateral member 141, and two elongated elastic members 143 each coupled to the branch portion 142 by a connection portion 1431. A stopper 1432 is formed at the end of the elastic member 143. When the elastic member 143 is inserted into the tunnel 116 on the trough 124, the bent connection portion 1431 is pushed to form a flat connection surface.

  Referring to FIG. 5, the inner case 21 includes a back member 211, a front member 213, and an inclined portion 212 for connecting the front member 213 and the back member 211. An arcuate member 214 is formed at one end of the back member 211. A space for receiving the support 12 is defined by the front member 213. Slits 2131 are formed on both sides of the front member 213. The detent 1432 is adapted to protrude from the slit 2131 to secure the securing device 10. A rib 2132 is formed at the bottom of the front member 213. Ribs 2132 are adapted to be inserted into the elongated openings 2211 to secure the inner case 21 and the outer case 22. The back member 211 has a rectangular main body shape, for example, and has two stoppers 2111 that are biased against the inner surface of the upper main body 111. Two openings 2112 are formed on both sides of the back member 211. The pairs on both sides of the stopper 2221 in the outer case 22 are adapted to be inserted into the opening 2112 to secure the inner case 21 and the outer case 22.

  The outer case 22 includes a claw 2222 provided on both sides of the inner surface, a recess 2223 provided with slidably arranged branch portions 142 on both sides, and a front surface formed so as to closely fit the shape of the front member 213. When the inner case 21 and the outer case 22 are joined together, the opening 223 and the back curved member 224 that fixes the cable together with the arcuate member 214 are formed.

  The housing 30 is adapted to enclose the inner case 21 and the outer case 22 except for the front member 213. The upper shell portion 31 includes a detent 3122 extending downward from both side walls 312, four corner piles 3121, a cavity 313, and wells (not shown) in both side walls 312. The lower shell portion 32 that forms a pair with the upper shell portion 31 includes holes 3221 at four corners into which the pile 3121 is inserted, and includes a stopper 3222, a well 3233, and a detent 323 on both sides. Detachment 3222, well 3233, and detent 323 are coupled to the well of upper shell 31, detent 3122, and cavity 313, respectively. As a result, a complete housing 30 is formed. The neck portion of the normal cable extension 40 is also fixed to the back of the upper and lower shells 32.

  Referring to FIG. 6, the second connector 100b is adapted to be coupled to the connector 100 and includes an insulating sheet 10b, a conductor assembly 20b, and a metal case 30b. When the second connector 100b and the connector 100 are coupled, the case 30b is provided with slits 311b on both sides thereof, and the detachment stopper 1432 protrudes (in other words, is fixed) from the slit 311b. Details regarding the second connector 100b are disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 6,659,799, and a related description here will be omitted for the sake of brevity.

  The assembly according to the invention is described in detail in FIGS. 1 to 5 below. First, as shown in FIG. 4A, the flexible material 14 is disposed on the tunnel 116 of the base 11. In order to fix the support 12 and the base 11, the support 12 is urged against the base 11 with the protrusion 1212 inserted into the slot 1142 (see FIG. 4B). In this way, the two elongated elastic members 143 provided with the bending connection portion 1431 of the flexible material 14 are arranged on the two troughs 124 of the support 12 as shown in FIG. Secondly, the inner case 21 and the assembly element described above are coupled. Next, the inner case 21 and the outer case 22 are joined together, and the stopper 2221 of the outer case 22 is inserted into the opening 2112 of the inner case (see FIGS. 2 and 5). Both the locking stopper 2111 and the claw 2222 are urged against the assembly element in the first stage. In this way, the components are fixed inside the case 20. Third, to secure the upper shell 31 and the lower shell 32 together by snapping the upper shell 31 to the lower shell 32, the assembly element and the cable extension 40 in the second stage Is sealed in the housing 30. In this position, the detent 323 is biased by the branch 142. This completes the assembly of the present invention as shown in FIG.

  Although the invention disclosed herein is illustrated by specific examples, many modifications and alterations will occur to those skilled in the art without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention.

1 is an exploded perspective view of a preferred embodiment of an electrical connector assembly according to the present invention. FIG. FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view of the electrical connector assembly in FIG. 1. The disassembled perspective view of the fixing device shown in FIG. (A) The perspective view of the assembly process of the fixing device shown in FIG. (B) The perspective view of the assembly process of the fixing device shown in FIG. (C) The perspective view of the assembly process of the fixing device shown in FIG. The disassembled perspective view of a case and a housing | casing. The exploded perspective view of the 2nd connector.

Explanation of symbols

  DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 ... Fixing device, 11 ... Insulation base, 12 ... Support body, 14 ... U-shaped flexible material, 20 ... Metal case, 30b ... Metal case of 2nd connector, 21 ... Inner case, 22 ... Outer case, 30 ... Plastic housing Body: 31 ... Upper shell part, 32 ... Lower shell part, 100b ... Second connector, 111 ... Upper body, 112 ... Connecting element, 113 ... Front extension part, 114 ... Positioning member, 115 ... Lower flat plate, 116 ... U-shaped tunnel, 121 ... back sheet, 123 ... front board, 124 ... trough, 141 ... transverse member, 142 ... parallel branch, 143 ... elastic member, 211 ... back member, 212 ... inclined part, 213 ... front member, 223 ... Front opening, 311b ... Second connector slit, 2131 ... Slit on the side of the front member, 1141 ... Groove, 1142 ... Slot, 1161 ... Vertical Directional passageway, 1211 ... Claw, 2112 ... Opening provided on side surface of inner case, 2211 ... Elongated opening, 2223 ... Recess in outer case, 3121 ... Pile, 3221 ... Hole in lower shell, 3233 ... Lower side Well as a concave portion of the shell, 3222...

Claims (8)

An electrical connector assembly comprising:
A plastic connector, a metal case arranged in the plastic case, a fixing device arranged in the metal case, and a first connector comprising a first conductor assembly;
A second connector coupled to one end of the first connector;
The fixing device comprises a structure including an insulating base, a support, and a second conductor assembly, and a U-shaped flexible material including a transverse member and two elastic components, and the insulating base is formed on both sides thereof. The U-shaped tunnel has an elongate trough formed along both sides of the support, and the insulation base and the support are joined together to form a basis for placing an elastic member thereon An electrical connector assembly in which the trough and the tunnel are coupled, and the second connector has slits on both sides for fixing the fixing device.   The flexible transverse member further comprises a ridge, two protrusions on each side of the ridge that are coupled in pairs to the insulating base, and two parallel branches, both elastic 2. An electrical connector assembly as claimed in claim 1, wherein each member is coupled to said branch and has a terminal detent.   The insulating base includes an upper body including a connecting element and a forward extension, a lower flat plate, bent positioning members at both ends of the insulating base, U-shaped tunnels formed on both sides of the lower flat plate, and a lower portion so as to communicate with the tunnel. It consists of a longitudinal passage formed on a flat plate and depressions provided on both sides of the lower flat plate, and the support is paired with a back sheet, a front board, and the tunnel having both claws and protrusions on both sides. The electrical connector assembly of claim 1, comprising an elongated trough configured along opposite sides of the support for engagement.   The case includes a rear member, a front member that defines a space for receiving the support, an inner case including an inclined portion that interconnects the front member and the rear member, and an outer case, and both sides of the front member. A slit is formed, and a stopper of both elastic members protrudes from the slit, and a rib is formed at the bottom of the front portion to be inserted into an elongated opening of the outer case to fix the inner case and the outer case. The outer case includes a front recess formed on both sides of the branch portion slidably disposed, and a front opening formed to fit the shape of the front member almost exactly. Item 2. The electrical connector assembly according to Item 1.     The housing is composed of an upper shell portion and a lower shell portion, the upper shell portion is composed of a plurality of piles, a plurality of recesses and a plurality of stoppers, and the lower shell portion is a plurality of holes, a plurality of stoppers, And a plurality of recesses, wherein the upper shell and the lower shell are paired with a pile, a recess, and a detachment of the upper shell, respectively, with a hole, a detachment, and a recess of the lower shell. The electrical connector assembly of claim 1, wherein the electrical connector assembly is adapted to be coupled by engagement.   The electrical connector assembly according to claim 3, wherein the fixing device support and the second conductor assembly are integrally formed by insert molding.   The electrical connector assembly according to claim 3, wherein a groove is formed by both positioning members, and a slot is formed in the groove.   The electrical connector assembly of claim 7, wherein a protrusion is inserted into the slot for the protrusion to secure the support and insulating base together.

Images